Ballistic resistant garments are available to protect various parts of the body from various ballistic threats, such as bullets or shrapnel. Some ballistic resistant garments are made of “soft armor,” which is generally flexible. For example, ballistic resistant vests that are worn to protect a user's torso, and extremity protector that protect a user's arms or legs, are usually made of soft body armor. Other garments are made of “hard armor,” which are generally stiff and inflexible. For example, helmets worn to protect a user's head are generally made of hard armor. However, some garments, such as vests and arm and leg protectors, may employ a combination of soft and hard armor to increase protection for the user. Traditionally, ballistic resistant garments have been single component garments or multiple-component garments that are not easily separable to remove quickly.
Ballistic resistant garments are often used in high threat situations, such as firefights or riots, by military or law enforcement personnel. In these situations, a user of these ballistic resistant garments must be adequately covered and the ballistic resistant garments must fit properly for maximum protection. However, a situation may occur in which the ballistic resistant garment must be quickly and easily removed from the user. For example, mission equipment carried on the ballistic resistant garment may become entangled during emergency egress from a vehicle, building or other confined space. In addition, the weight of the ballistic resistant garment and mission equipment may prevent the user from surfacing in the event of inadvertent water submersion. Further, if an individual is injured, a first responder may need to gain immediate access to the injured area for assessment and medical treatment.
Some ballistic resistant garments are configured to enable the ballistic resistant garment to break apart into several removable components. However, the mechanisms employed do not enable rapid or quick release of the garment, and may require the manipulation of multiple attachment mechanisms. Further, these mechanisms do not enable the quick release of any extremity protection.
Further still, some ballistic resistant garments provide the various components of the ballistic resistant garment, such as a vest, leg protection or arm protection, with long leads that extend a distance to a single release point or release area within the garment. These leads may have to be removed from the garment after the single release point, or release points in the release area, is disengaged. This may require more time to remove the vest, may cause the garment to become hung up on the user (e.g., the leads becoming entangled around the user), or may not fully disengage (e.g., the leads become entangled within the ballistic resistant garments).